Empyreal Environs

I hope this letter finds you and your family well. I’ve been a fan of yours for a long time now. When you had that stroke after you played in your first (!) Pro Bowl earlier this year, I was worried for your health and wished for your speedy recovery. At least you could leave the game at the height of your career with the knowledge that you have nothing left to accomplish in the sport.

But now I’m reading reports that you are trying to get back on the gridiron. I’m not entirely surprised, given your competitive nature. I’ll always remember you wresting the ball away from Dominic Rhodes of the Colts in the AFC divisional game on the way to your third Super Bowl championship. Everyone thought Indianapolis’s high octane offense would overpower your team’s defense, and yet Peyton Manning’s vaunted scoring machine only managed a single field goal. I bet you still feel as if you could have shut them out, don’t you?

Because that’s they way you are. Always striving, never satisfied. That’s why you’re trying to make this comeback. I’m sure you’re hearing this from everyone and their uncle, but no one would think any less of you if you never played another game.

Consider what you are risking should you venture back on the field. There are at least five reasons not to return the game: your wife Heidi, Tedy Jr., Rex, Dante, and yourself. You only get one life and it seems to me you’ve reached heights that few before you have achieved and fewer still after you can hope to attain. You can’t give any more to the Patriots than you already have; don’t sacrifice your health, and possibly your life, as well.

Yours truly,
a fan